Public kiosks are generally freestanding computer systems which provide services to a variety of users. For example, a public kiosk may provide information, advertising, or act as a point-of-sale device. Many car rental agencies use public kiosks to provide navigation directions to drivers unfamiliar with local areas. An automatic teller machine (ATM) is another form of public kiosk that provides a service to a user. A gas station pump with a credit card reader is a form of point-of-sale public kiosk.
Traditional public kiosks typically include a video display and either a keypad or a touchscreen panel. The video display can be used as an attraction device, but can also provide messages and feedback to a user. The keypad or touchscreen panel allows a user to interact with the public kiosk so as to, for example, submit queries to or answer questions posed by the public kiosk.
The interaction between a traditional public kiosk and a user is generally limited by the capabilities of a computer system that is resident within the public kiosk. That is, the public kiosk is typically controlled by a software program that is continuously running on a resident computer system. The software program typically comprises a number of subroutines that are called in response to inputs that are received from a user. The inputs are typically relayed through the keypad or touchscreen panel.
The software program is typically provided by a manufacturer of the public kiosk, and thus has to be serviced, upgraded, and/or customized by the manufacturer or someone authorized or capable of performing such a task. The servicing, upgrading, and/or customizing of the software program can be a costly and time-consuming task. For example, a prospective purchaser of a public kiosk would need to provide detailed presentation information to a manufacturer or other software developer in order to develop a custom software program for use in the public kiosk. The manufacturer or other software developer would then also probably be needed to service and upgrade the custom software program, if such were needed.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that the development and maintenance of software programs for controlling traditional public kiosks can be costly and time-consuming. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an efficient technique for developing and maintaining a software program for controlling a computerized public kiosk.